Spent Grain Cookies: Chewy, Toasty, and Baked With Beer Grain Soul

Spent Grain Cookies are chewy, hearty, and packed with flavor — whether you’re after chocolate chips, spice, peanut butter, or oatmeal raisin energy. The spent grain adds body, texture, and a subtle malt sweetness that makes every bite feel bakery-fresh and beer-baked.

Perfect for using up that leftover mash in dessert form, they freeze well, travel well, and taste even better next to a cold pint.

Base Dough (Makes about 18–24 cookies depending on size)

Dry Mix

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup spent grain (wet, well-drained, finely chopped)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• Optional: ½ tsp cinnamon or spice depending on your flavor profile

Wet Mix

• ½ cup butter (softened)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Optional: 1–2 tbsp beer (amber ale, stout, or cream ale)

Cream wet ingredients until fluffy, then mix in spent grain. Stir in dry mix. Fold in your add-ins. Scoop onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes until golden at edges and soft in the center.

Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Flavor Variations

🍫 Chocolate Chip

• Add: 1 cup chocolate chips (dark, milk, or semi-sweet)
• Optional: finish with flaky salt
• Pairs with: Brown ale, porter, or stout

🥜 Peanut Butter

• Replace ¼ cup butter with peanut butter
• Add: ½ cup chopped peanuts or peanut butter chips
• Pairs with: Cream ale, amber ale, or milk stout

🧂 Oatmeal Raisin

• Add: 1 cup oats + ¾ cup raisins
• Optional: ½ tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp nutmeg
• Pairs with: Vienna lager, bock, or blonde ale

🧁 Spent Grain Snickerdoodle

• Add: ½ tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• Roll in cinnamon sugar before baking
• Pairs with: Wheat beer or honey cream ale

🍫 Mocha Stout

• Add: ½ cup cocoa powder to dry mix + ½ cup chopped dark chocolate
• Optional: 1 tsp espresso powder
• Pairs with: Stout, coffee porter, or chocolate ale

Serving Suggestions

• Stack with beer ice cream for dessert sandwiches
• Dunk into milk stouts or creamy coffee beers
• Crumble onto yogurt, ice cream, or spent grain granola bowls
• Add to a beer-and-cookie pairing board with different styles

Storage

• Store in an airtight container for 4–5 days
• Freeze in dough balls or baked form for up to 3 months
• Warm gently for soft centers and crisp edges

Beer Pairing

In the Dough

• Optional splash of brown ale, porter, or stout depending on flavor
• Avoid hoppy or sour beer — bitterness can come through in the bake

In Your Glass

• Match beer to the cookie:
  • Chocolate → stout
  • PB or nutty → cream ale
  • Oatmeal or spice → amber or spiced ale
  • Simple base dough → blonde ale or mild lager

Final Thoughts

Spent Grain Cookies are chewy, rich, and resourceful — dessert with beer DNA and bakery texture, born from the brewhouse and made for the cookie jar.

Whether you’re baking for yourself, a brew club, or a brunch board, they’re the sweet side of brewing with purpose.

Cheers to soft centers, golden edges, and beer in every batch! 🍪🍺🔥

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